Veteran TV actor Schallert dies at age 93
William Schallert, a veteran TV performer and Hollywood union leader who played Patty Duke’s father — and uncle — on television and led a long, contentious strike for actors, has died.
Schallert died Sunday at his home in Pacific Palisades, California, said his son, Edwin. He was 93.
Though usually seen in secondary roles, Schallert’s lean, friendly face was familiar to baby boomers for roles in two classic sitcoms — as a teacher to Dwayne Hickman and his pals in “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” and as the dad in “The Patty Duke Show.”
Schallert was cast as Patty’s harried father (and Cathy’s uncle), who was confused by the lookalike girls.
